Description
Many of the dogs that are seen on a daily basis are present due to “ lumps and bumps”. The differential diagnoses for the mass include cysts, abscesses, scar tissue, and cancer, which can be benign or malignant. Diagnosis can be either an aspirate or biopsy. HT Vista is a new device that combines heat diffusion signatures with artificial intelligence. The rationale is based on the tissue's response to thermal excitation over a short period of time. The Algorithm compares the patient’s signal to learned signals and gives a probability of malignancy. The pilot study included 45 dogs with 69 tumors (28 malignant and 41 benign) and showed an accuracy of 88% and a negative predictive value of 92%. The validation study included 525 masses. 378 were designated as benign, 53 malignant, and 94 as non-diagnostic. The accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of the system were 69%, 85%, 67%, 26%, and 97% respectively for all masses using the cytology and/or histopathology results as the gold standard. We propose that all lumps should be diagnosed and newer tools may help us make better clinical decisions.
Kindly sponsored by HT Vets.
